She has accused Israel of “an illegal act”
Greta Thunberg has issued a statement after being ‘kidnapped’ and deported by Israel.
It comes after Israel confirmed that Thunberg left the country, after armed forces intercepted the Madleen yacht carrying her and 11 other activists trying to deliver aid to Gaza.
“Greta Thunberg just departed Israel on a flight to Sweden (via France),” the Israel Foreign Ministry said in a post on Tuesday (June 10).
Activist group Freedom Flotilla, which organised the trip, claimed that Israeli armed forces ‘unlawfully boarded’ their boat and that the group was ‘kidnapped by Israeli forces’.
Thunberg has since broken her silence, and spoken out on what happened.
She accused Israel of “an illegal act by kidnapping us on international waters and against our will and bringing us to Israel, keeping us in the bottom of the boat, not letting us getting out, and so on”.
However, she continued to say that their ‘kidnapping’ was not the real story, but the focus should be on the “genocide going on in Gaza and a systematic starvation following the siege and blockade”.
The Madleen departed Sicily last Sunday (June 1) carrying flour, rice, baby formula, and other basic supplies amid a humanitarian crisis.
It aimed to break the Israeli sea blockade and to deliver aid to the people of Gaza, raising awareness about the humanitarian crisis at hand.
Among other activists on board were Game of Thrones actor, Liam Cunningham, and European parliamentarian Rima Hassan. The latter was denied entry to Israel earlier this year for her outspoken opposition to Israeli attacks on Gaza.
